By Annie
On Saturday, May 26 FSM’s executive director, Karin Tilberg, was featured on the show Bill Green’s Maine. Bill focused on the importance of Maine’s North Woods and FSM’s conservation work, and on Karin’s role as FSM’s leader.
Click on the video below to view.
By Annie
The Forest Society of Maine Board of Directors named Karin Tilberg as the organization’s new executive director during their December board meeting. The Forest Society of Maine (FSM) is a land trust with a focus on conserving forestland throughout Maine’s North Woods. Karin has worked for FSM since 2011 as the deputy executive director to oversee and implement FSM’s expanded presence in the Moosehead Lake region and to work with forestland owners to design and implement forest conservation projects. In her new role as executive director she will oversee the entire organization and help guide its continued growth as Maine’s land trust for the North Woods.
According to George Jacobson, FSM Board President, “Through her previous work Karin has developed a keen awareness of the struggles, challenges, and opportunities facing forestland owners and communities in the North Woods. She has worked with businesses, local leaders, outdoor organizations, and others in designing and completing complex conservation projects intended to enhance public access, fish and wildlife habitat, and sustainable forestry.”
“We at Robbins Lumber have always been big supporters of the Forest Society of Maine. They were the primary organization that helped us put a conservation easement on our land near Nicatous Lake. We and they believe in preserving the working forest and access for public recreation. The Forest Society of Maine has always been blessed with great leadership. Karin Tilberg has a great conservation background and we are sure she will provide continued great leadership to FSM in the future. We are excited about her appointment and look forward to working with her,” said Jim Robbins, Sr., retired president of Robbins Lumber.
Karin earned a B.S. in wildlife biology from the University of Vermont and a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law. Before joining FSM, Karin worked in state government as Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and as a senior advisor for Governor John Baldacci. In these positions, she worked with numerous landowners, NGO partners, and community leaders for conservation outcomes. In addition to her work throughout Maine, she is an active outdoorswoman and has spent her adult life working and recreating throughout Maine.
“I am very grateful to be named the new executive director of Forest Society of Maine,” stated Tilberg, “I am dedicated to building on the strong foundation created by my predecessor and inspiring conservation leader, Alan Hutchinson. This new role will give me the chance to further the mission of the Forest Society of Maine, and to reach out to all who have a connection to Maine’s North Woods –whether it be through land ownership, work, recreation, or pure enjoyment.”
Read the article that appeared in the Portland Press Herald.
By Annie
It’s hard to imagine the Forest Society of Maine (FSM) without Alan Hutchinson. In truth, FSM really wasn’t an active land trust before he arrived. In 1984 FSM existed on paper, so that a conservation organization in neighboring New Hampshire could hold easements in Maine, but there was no staff, no office, and no new activity in Maine for more than a decade.
It wasn’t until 1997 when large tracts of Maine forestland were changing hands, that a group of landowners, conservation professionals, and scientists realized that Maine’s North Woods needed a dedicated land trust. They decided to bring FSM to life and hired Alan as the first employee and executive director. Before coming to FSM, Alan served with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) doing impressive work in various roles, but after 24 years he took a leap of faith and left IF&W to guide a fledgling organization. For the first several months he worked from his kitchen table, boxes of files stacked around him.
Soon after FSM upgraded to office space in downtown Bangor, Jim and Jenness Robbins of Robbins Lumber Company walked through the door. They wanted to discuss conservation options for 23,000 acres they’d purchased around Nicatous Lake. At the time it was a project of monumental proportions and a big test for a new executive director and a young organization. Working with numerous partners, (a practice that Alan made standard operating procedure for FSM), the Nicatous project became the first of many conservation successes.
If I was to use one word to describe Alan it would be ‘credibility.’ He exemplified it.” Maine forestland owner, Jim Robbins
Although completing projects was an important part of what Alan did, he did so much more to help make FSM a leader in conserving Maine forestlands. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was building an organization with a clear mission and vision for the future. It was slow work that required patience and tenacity, and depended in large part on his ability to bring people with diverse views together around the same table.
One of Alan’s amazing talents was to create an environment where there was deep, mutual respect for each other, and an openness to discuss some controversial topics in the most professional manner.” Former FSM board president Bob Burr
Alan was fond of saying, “We have a big tent,” meaning that people from all of the pillars of FSM’s mission–the economic, recreational, ecological, and cultural–could meet and find common ground. He recognized that helping Maine forestland owners and forest products businesses succeed is crucial to forestland conservation. He was also a good listener who could talk to anyone, because he knew that everyone had something to contribute.
Alan was the epitome of great leadership. He had a gracious way of making everyone feel a part of the project—and what incredible projects happened under his leadership. He was a real inspiration.” FSM friend Tarun Johns
Today, FSM has a staff of eight and a monitoring program for large forest easements that is highly regarded nationally. There is an active board of directors and advisory council, who are experts in forest resources, outdoor recreation, natural sciences, Maine history, land trust development, and more. Alan was very proud that FSM was among the first land trusts in Maine and the nation to become accredited through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. He was deeply aware of FSM’s ‘forever’ commitment to Maine lands, and worked hard to make FSM a strong and resilient organization.
I think the most difficult thing to be in the current state of our world is moderate. It takes day-in and day-out personal courage because you are constantly being criticized and questioned from all sides; yet, moderation is often the key to making progress. Alan had that personal courage; the unfailing ability to be calm, to be rational, to listen to all sides; and then to take firm, courageous, but moderate positions.” FSM partner Dick Spencer
One morning last year Alan told a young member of FSM’s staff that his generation had done a lot, both good and bad. “Now,” he said, “it’s up to your generation. It’s up to you.” His statement was a fair challenge, but it is only partially true: regardless of your generation, it is up to all of us to keep going, to keep making the changes we want to see in the world a reality, and to practice the tenacity, patience, and willingness to listen that Alan set as an example for us. Let’s honor Alan and further his legacy by continuing to come together around our shared goal of keeping Maine’s forests as forests for many generations to come.
Article originally published in Forest View, Fall 2017.
Top photo of Alan Hutchinson by Bruce Kidman.
By Annie
The Forest Society of Maine has conserved 4,358 acres of forestland surrounding Silver Lake and 12 miles of the West Branch of the Pleasant River in Piscataquis County, Maine. These lands are visited each year by thousands of people from Maine and afar for fishing, hiking, camping, paddling, hunting, snowmobiling, and more. The property’s popular campsites and access to the river and lake are part of the amenities important to the region’s recreational and tourism economies. Public recreational access is now guaranteed forever.
The Forest Society of Maine (FSM) needed to raise $4.35 million for this acquisition. Success was made possible with the help of many partners and supporters. Leadership gifts were provided by the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, Jane’s Trust, the Knobloch Family Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Sweet Water Trust, and the Wyss Foundation through the Open Space Institute.
The project safeguards vital river habitat for Eastern brook trout and Atlantic salmon spawning, and habitat for American black duck, Canada lynx, Northern long-eared bat, wood turtle, bald eagle, and many other species of state and national significance. The project additionally protects a 400-acre mature silver maple flood plain forest—one of the largest and best examples in Maine.
These newly conserved lands, adjacent to the historic Katahdin Iron Works, help buffer this state-owned site. The Katahdin Iron Works operated from 1843 – 1890 and employed 400 people at its peak of operations. It used wood from these forestlands to operate its blast furnaces and kilns. Remnants of this operation can still be found. The area also became a popular tourist destination in the 1890s with the Silver Lake Hotel drawing visitors from across the country, attracted by the scenic setting and abundance of fish and wildlife. The hotel no longer stands, but the region’s beauty and natural resources persist and are now conserved for future generations.
The remarkable mix of ecological and recreational values found here made this a high priority project for us, especially as it is fills a key gap in the network of two million acres of already conserved lands in this region of Maine’s North Woods,” said Alan Hutchinson, FSM’s executive director.
The Forest Society of Maine worked with Conservation Forestry—a New Hampshire-based timber investment firm and the owner of these lands since 2009—to develop a conservation future for the property, recognizing the special ecological and recreational values found there. As part of the plan that was developed, FSM was charged with finding an appropriate group to own and manage these lands. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) has become that owner and the Forest Society of Maine holds a conservation easement on the lands.
The Silver Lake – Pleasant River lands are adjacent to AMC’s 70,000 acres of other conservation holdings in the area which provide the focus for its Maine Woods Initiative, an innovative approach to conservation that combines outdoor recreation, resource protection, sustainable forestry, and community partnerships.
Silver Lake and the watershed of the West Branch of the Pleasant River are an ecological treasure trove of plant and animal life. We are honored to be the new stewards of these spectacular lands and waters, and are committed to their protection and accessibility for nature-based recreation,” said Walter Graff, senior vice president of the Appalachian Mountain Club. “This parcel will also allow us to expand our outreach to local youth by providing new and accessible water-based opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing,” Graff said.
The Open Space Institute (OSI) filled a key role in facilitating project success and funding. “For more than two decades, OSI has been on the ground helping conserve Maine’s recreational lands, pristine rivers, and working forests. The Silver Lake – Pleasant River project builds on these past successes and will deliver unparalleled recreational opportunities for the people of Maine and those who value this extraordinary setting,” said Kim Elliman, OSI’s president and CEO.
OSI’s contribution to the project would not have been possible without the Wyss Foundation’s support for our Eastern Lands Initiative, which aims to protect wilderness landscapes up and down our nation’s east coast.”
The Forest Society of Maine extends its deep gratitude to the people and organizations whose help resulted in permanently conserving these thousands of acres of woods and waters in Maine’s North Woods that are so special to many people and many species of wildlife.
Press coverage of the Silver Lake – Pleasant River project in the MaineBiz.
Click on the map below for a larger view of the Silver Lake – Pleasant River Project lands.
By Annie
How remarkable that the Forest Society of Maine (FSM) is celebrating not one, but two milestones: our 30 year anniversary and having helped conserve a million acres! From day one, FSM’s focus has been on the woods and waters of Maine’s North Woods, the largest remaining block of forestland east of the Rocky Mountains. But FSM is also about people —people who care about the future of this incredible expanse of forest.
FSM arose in 1984 from a need, a vision, and a bold idea. The need was that of the Coburn family who after a century as landowners faced the sale of their forestlands. They wanted the mountains, forests, hiking and canoe trails, and ecological gems around Attean Pond to be maintained into the future. The vision was that productively managed forests and conservation could go hand-in-hand, sustaining ecological, economic, recreational, scenic, and cultural values. The bold idea was creating an organization with the unique mission of conserving those many values. With the help of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire’s Forests, FSM was established to hold 20,000 acres of forests, mountains, rivers, and lakes. The Attean project included what was then the largest conservation easement ever undertaken and one of the first to conserve forests for habitat, timber, scenic vistas, and public recreation.
By 1994 a century of relative stability in ownership and management of Maine’s North Woods began to change. Leaders at Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Maine Tree Foundation, and Trust for Public Land came together to evaluate the need for a new program specifically focused on conserving the economic and environmental values of Maine’s forestlands. They spoke with landowners, land conservation professionals, ecologists, foresters, mill owners, hikers, hunters, anglers, guides, scientists, and community leaders. They also conducted a review of forestland conservation programs across the United States to find a relevant model for Maine. Their findings laid the groundwork for the restructuring of FSM into a staffed, Maine-based, fully independent, and self-sustaining organization dedicated to filling the role of the land trust for Maine’s North Woods. Alan Hutchinson, FSM’s founding executive director, was hired in 1997 and a steady stream of important projects emerged beginning with the 20,000-acre Nicatous Lake project and followed shortly thereafter by the 329,000-acre West Branch project.
While we’ve spent much of the last year reflecting on our progress, we have also been looking ahead to the next 30 years. We have met with hundreds of FSM supporters and friends across the state. We learned there is continued need for FSM, our inclusive conservation approach, and our focus on large working forest landscapes. As a result Forest Society of Maine remains committed to its mission ensuring that the integrity and productivity of Maine’s North Woods will endure.
209 State St, 2nd Floor
Bangor, Maine 04401
(207) 945-9200
info@fsmaine.org
